Converting Photos to Cross Stitch

One of the questions I commonly hear from crafters, whether it’s related to cross stitch, knitting or crochet, is wondering how best to convert a photo or other image (like a logo) into a pattern that they can stitch.

I don’t have a very good answer because I haven’t done a lot of this kind of work, and the free online converters I’ve used have not been that great, meaning that I had to redraw my chart even when I was using a relatively simple design.

Crewel Ghoul decided to put a few pattern generators to the test and show off her results in a blog post. She wanted to look specifically at online or app pattern makers rather than programs you have to download and focused on Stitch Fiddle, Stitchly and Floss Cross.

She designed a floral image (which you can see above) and had each generator create a design of the same size and with the same maximum number of colors. Each one is rated on a scale of 1 to 3 for accuracy of color and design, ease of use and level of customization allowed, for a possible score of 12.

You’ll have to head over there to see all her designs and the rankings of the generators, but I will tell you that they all seemed to do pretty well and if you don’t need to make a lot of patterns or have a high level of customization (say you’re only making a pattern from a photo for personal use and don’t expect to need to do so regularly) you can develop a fine pattern with just free tools or the free version of tools.

That said, the more complex the pattern you’re trying to make in terms of size, number of colors, shadows, etc., the harder it is for any program to replicate. But it’s worth taking a look at these tools to see what they can do for you.

Head over to Crewel Ghoul to read the full review and take a look at the different versions of her pattern the generators made.

[Photo: Crewel Ghoul]

How to Cross Stitch a QR Code

An Easy Way to Make Your Own Cross Stitch Charts with Text

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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